Jake Lefferman is a freelance reporter and journalism student at Columbia University in New York City. was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from UC Berkeley where he studied communications and Spanish linguistics and was senior producer for the campus television station. Before Columbia, Jake worked in the entertainment industry where he was assistant producer for two feature films, executive assistant to the senior partner of a talent agency and once even an on-set medic. He treated a very serious bee sting. He was also associate producer for a Los Angeles business and real estate talk show. He loves running, dogs and the occasional unicycle ride.
For Bruce Hallett, theater is a lot like baseball.
“People going into a Broadway show are as excited as [San Francisco] Giants fans going into the stadium -- just a lot more sober and a lot richer,” the Playbill publisher says.
But unlike the Giants, Hallett jokes, Playbill never loses.
The publication’s black and yellow title page is as woven into the history of theater as the Phantom’s white mask, Sweeney Todd’s razor or Elphaba’s green skin.
Playbills are found at almost every Broadway and off-Broadway production in New York and U.S. markets from Los Angeles to Palm Beach, Fla. The company reported monthly circulation at more than 4 million for the national edition and charges nearly $250,000 for a one-page advertisement, according to its January 2013 rate card. Whatever they’re doing seems to be working.
In an era where media giants are flailing, bankrupting and welcoming corporate buyouts, President and CEO Philip Birsh says his family company continues to thrive.
“The reason that Playbill exists,” says Birsh, nearly 130 years after its inception, “is because the public would like to know more about the people on stage and the people on stage and behind the curtains and in the wings wish to be acknowledged as well.”
This obligation to audience, actors, directors, producers and crew has sustained Playbill since its premiere performance at David Belasco’s “May Blossom” in 1884. Owners came and went throughout the 20th century and in 1974 Arthur T. Birsh, then publisher, bought the company that would become his family’s legacy.
Senior Vice President Clifford Tinder says that the Birsh name and values have helped make Playbill successful. "It’s not as corporate an environment. Everyone takes on different roles and wears different hats,” he says. “It’s a family business.”
The family business continued when Philip Birsh took over his father’s company in 1993. Birsh thrust Playbill into the digital age when he launched Playbill.com in 1995 “under the theory that a portion of the public had an insatiable desire to read about theater.” It seems he was right.
Playbill.com receives over 200,000 unique visitors monthly, according to the website, and features 30 to 40 theater related articles daily, casting and job lists, interactive polls and quizzes, video/photo galleries, and celebrity gossip.
While Hallett notes that Playbill is “a very old fashioned medium and a very enduring one,” Birsh seems to have found a way to seamlessly bridge it into the 21st century. Along with Playbill.com he introduced The Playbill Club, an email service that offers ticket, restaurant and event deals to paying subscribers, which now has over 350,000 members. The company is well entrenched in social media - its Facebook page has 55,474 likes while its Twitter page has 99,012 followers. And well aware of a good audience when he sees one, Birsh’s Playbill now features travel services to individuals who wish to blend culture and relaxation. In March 2014, Playbill will charter an entire cruise ship to Tahiti “risking all levels of melanoma to enjoy Broadway stars” on the sea, says Birsh. The program, “Broadway on the High Seas,” will feature Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, Sutton Foster, Christine Ebersole, Rebecca Luker, Will Swenson, and Danny Burstein.
But don’t let Playbill’s “family business” façade fool you. At its core, it’s a media juggernaut that knows how to play hardball.
In the early 2000s Playbill’s main competitor, Stagebill, still dominated music palaces from Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall. But when internal instabilities and ownership changes left the media company weakened, Birsh swooped in and brought over Clifford Tinder, then Stagebill’s vice president.
“We invaded the territory Stagebill was about to default on,” Tinder recalls. “I was able to go to the venues we were interested in,” which included the San Francisco Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall “and slowly get them to come over to Playbill.”
In 2002, Playbill bought out its dying competitor giving it a near-exclusive monopoly as program publisher for all of Broadway, off-Broadway, Lincoln Center and select theaters across the country. Tinder says that with this move, and his transition to Playbill, the company doubled its circulation from 2 million to 4 million.
Birsh’s most recent innovation came this November when he hired Bruce Hallett as the magazine’s publisher. Hallett, an industry veteran who served as president of Time magazine and Sports Illustrated, will oversee the print side of Playbill Inc. while Birsh will continue with the company’s online endeavors and Playbill Travel.
With his team solidly in place and most of the competition wiped out, Philip Birsh reflects that Playbill is driven by financial and legal motives.
The majority of Playbill’s revenue, roughly 75 percent according to the company, comes from advertisers who are paying for what Birsh believes are the 4 million most valuable consumers. The unique distribution model of physically handing theatergoers a Playbill specifically tailored to the show they are about to see may contribute to the impact of the magazine’s advertisements.
“We are capturing people at the moment of high excitement," Hallett says. "Cell phones and other media are shut down and they’re focused on what’s unfolding in front of them.”
Playbill’s distribution model to a contained, affluent and educated audience is what gets advertisers interested, says Tinder. Sponsors such as Cadillac, Lexus and Estée Lauder reflect the demographic trend. Printed at company-owned printing plants in Queens and at no cost to the theaters – Playbill offers their service for free in exchange for eyeballs to attract advertisers – the theaters don’t seem to be complaining.
While the guests sell the ads, those behind the curtain keep the publication viable as well. Birsh explains that most New York union contracts mandate that the public be handed a playbill listing those involved in a production. A Playbill does as much to fulfill contractual obligations as it does to inform and educate the audience. Each booklet features a signature title page with cover art specific to a production and theater. Inside, the publication lists cast, writer and production staff biographies in addition to select feature pieces, Broadway listings, a dining and entertainment guide and plenty of advertisements.
The tie-in is simple, Birsh says: “The public wants it and the unions demand it.”
Playbill’s leaders are also quick to note that there is a unique emotional thread to the business model.
“I believe that Playbill’s connection with an audience is much like a souvenir or a receipt of an experience,” Birsh says. “It says I have seen this, this was meaningful.”
James Ballard, music composer and Broadway enthusiast, knows this meaning first-hand. To him, Playbills are a record of Broadway history, a collection of moments that he cherishes. In a warmly lit coffee shop in the West Village Ballard says, “A lot of times, taking an old Playbill out and reading a certain bio will bring back some memory from that show that I may not have been able to recall otherwise.”
And for those involved in a musical or play, the emotional connection is even greater.
“Nobody throws out the first Playbill they appear in,” says Hallett. “It’s like appearing on the cover of Time or Sports Illustrated. It’s a moment in your life where you think you’ve accomplished something important.”
Ballard, an MFA student at New York University, remembers the first time he saw his name in Playbill, as the music production assistant on “Nice Work If You Can Get It” (2012). He still has several copies that he saved. “Even in small print, even in the back, just having your name in the same program, involved in the same show as somebody like Matthew Broderick or Kelly O’Hara – just to know you were some part of that history, in some small way, is very cool,” he says. “It’s a launching point.”
Whether Ballard is in the wings or in the seats he is part of the theater experience, a memorable phenomenon that Playbill’s CEO says is unique to this art.
Birsh says you never forget your first Broadway show. “It’s too big. It’s branded in your brain, it’s a special memory.”
And in the midst of that excitement, you probably left the show clutching your Playbill.
Jake Lefferman spends a Sunday afternoon with Robert Ryman’s "Twin" at New York’s MoMA and learns that sometimes it takes a child to see what the adults are just too “cultured” to notice.
With her milky simplicity – so bare, so exposed – she begs for attention. She wants them to ask, to engage, to challenge but they don’t even stop. Some turn and smile politely. Others scoff, hands raised in condescension. Some approach as if to conquer her, and turn back defeated.
“Seriously, dad? It’s white on white,” moans a young girl in bright, pink polka-dot tights and a green hooded sweatshirt, anything but subtle in front of Robert Ryman’s 1966 oil on cotton canvas painting entitled "Twin." The work, an austere white square, is as described – white paint in thick horizontal brush strokes on an off white canvas. No frills, no hidden colored detail – just white on white.
Ryman’s "Twin" dominates the center wall of the Michael Ovitz Family Gallery on the forth floor of The Museum of Modern Art. From afar it appears as the fresh silky glow of a new snow, powdery and perfect. Up close, it is imperfect – jagged brushstrokes that slowly angle up on the right, cracking blots of paint and an uneven border of off-white canvas where the paint didn’t quite meet the edge.
American painter Robert Ryman is most associated with the 20th-century conceptual art movement, which MoMA explains emphasizes engagement of ideas over interaction with physical objects. "Twin"is further classified into the after minimalism subset, which seeks to involve the viewer in the construction process of art. They call his white paintings “pictorial complexity” by use of an “extremely limited vocabulary.” Amid the overwhelming whiteness one can’t help but agree.
But art critics and the public seem at odds.
“It’s not even art,” a dark-haired man in a military jacket grumbles, seemingly aggravated by MoMA’s standards. He doesn’t slow his pace but simply gestures in perplexed annoyance as if batting the air for a remedy.
“There’s some color in there!” a middle-aged woman mocks, her bright orange sweater almost offensive against the painting’s tempered form. She knows color. Ryman could have taken a lesson from her.
The pattern of abuse continues. Museum-goers in practical, autumnal wear seem to get off on making fun of her. She doesn’t fit their definition of art, of culture.
A small boy in thick-rimmed glasses approaches. He paces side to side, matching her gaze. He turns on his heel and marches to the back of the gallery then stops and watches her. He slowly advances. Maybe he can see the dark whites at the top of the frame, the somber mood evoked from monochromatic sameness. Maybe he understands the title as a reference to the painting’s form of white on white, identical twins unless you look closely.
With the intensity of Cameron as he engages with Seurat in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the boy questions and challenges. He reaches up to touch, to feel the artist’s intention that seems lost on the adult world around him. The security guard jumps from a complacent slump against the far wall and bounds toward the child, demanding distance. Art is to be appreciated from the standard two-foot buffer.
Catastrophe averted, the gallery hums back to its natural rhythm. "Twin" continues to endure a series of insults, upturned noses and full-out snubs. But no matter: Today she has been seen.
From Brazil to Brooklyn – Participatory Budgeting Shakes Things Up
By Jake Lefferman
BROOKLYN, NY - Brooklyn residents began the process of deciding how to spend one million dollars of the public budget Thursday night. Community residents proposed and debated projects that included environmental improvement, public safety, and technology updates.
Historic Borough Hall housed this, the first of several neighborhood assemblies. A dozen residents divided into small brainstorming groups to share concerns and propose solutions to what they see as the most critical issues affecting their neighborhoods.
This citywide initiative, called participatory budgeting, came to New York City three years ago by way of Brazil. First piloted in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989 the program gives community members decision-making powers over an earmarked portion of the city’s budget. Since then, it has spread to over 1,500 countries throughout the world including New York, Chicago, and Vallejo, California according to the project’s website.
Brooklyn City Councilman Stephen Levin said the program aims at empowering communities to decide how to spend their tax dollars and keeps the district budget transparent and accountable. “It gives people some confidence that government is responsive and is working for them, that they can participate, and that their voice does matter,” he said.
The program is gaining momentum. Last year, over thirteen thousand New York voters chose 45 winning projects totaling over ten million dollars in government funding. More than 1700 projects were proposed by over 1600 residents, said outreach coordinator Benjamin Solitaire, a number organizers hope to beat this year.
Now in its second year in Brooklyn’s 33rd district, one of nine districts participating, the program relies heavily on the work of a few staff members, volunteer support, and community involvement, said volunteer Jake Karr. Karr helped lead Thursday’s meeting along with outreach coordinator, Benjamin Solitaire, and Levin’s lead organizer, Lisa Bloodgood.
“It’s really just people in the community who are really engaged and really care about this project,” said Karr.
Facilitators Lisa Bloodgood and Jake Karr lead a community breakout session at Thursday’s meeting. Photo by Jake Lefferman.
Solitaire and Bloodgood gave a presentation on the history and goals of participatory budgeting and the rules and procedure governing suggestions. Facilitators explained that each project must cost a minimum of $35,000 and all projects combined cannot exceed $1 million, the standard amount each city council member sets aside for his or her district. They then divided attendants into small groups where they shared ideas about how to spend the money.
“We need up to date technology for god’s sake,” said resident Daphne Griffith, while proposing funding to purchase new computers in local schools.
“I would like to see children’s gardening programs in K through eighth grade,” said Diane Buxbaum, who suggested modeling an initiative based off Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard Project. “Not only does it teach children nutritional values but responsibility and how to cook.”
Others cited public safety as a concern. “These reckless drivers should be punished for making U-turns unexpectedly without even signaling. I’ve seen it four times this week,” Griffith said while arguing for the need for stricter traffic enforcement.
Additional suggestions included Borough Hall Plaza improvements, rooftop gardens, more trashcans in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, and soft edges along the Gowanus River.
Last year, Levin’s district allocated over $1.7 million to public housing repair, park improvement, playgrounds, library upgrades, MTA station upgrades, and security cameras through the program. Levin said he was pleased with last year’s turnout and expects more this time around. “We had good participation and people got really invested so we want to make sure that happens throughout the district again this year,” Levin said.
The Councilman also said his office learned a lot from last year and is working on strategic outreach to reach more people. “We want to see more participation from some pockets of the community who didn’t seem to participate as much last year and make sure there’s a stepped up level of participation,” said Levin. He cited South Williamsburg, public housing developments, and the senior community.
Volunteers and residents become involved in participatory budgeting for a variety of reasons. Jake Karr said, “I think it’s one of the most direct ways to make democracy matter and visible and remind people that democracy is more than just going out and voting every few years.” Karr’s interests in this program were first peaked in a course at Brown University. The professor was a visiting instructor from Porto Alegre, where the program was piloted, and often lectured about its origins and results.
According to a World Bank case study on the program’s Brazilian birthplace, the results are mostly positive. The study found that citizen participation in the program rose steady, from 1000 in 1990 to 40,000 in 1999. It also notes that the budget controlled by citizens increased from 17% in 1992 to 21% in 1999 and that citizen priorities had led to the reallocation of funds to public housing, sewer and water connections, and schools. However, the study also indicates that the program has been slow to involved members of the poorer sectors of the community, and participation drops off once a group’s demands are met.
Councilman Stephen Levin (D-District 33) speaks with resident at Thursday's neighborhood assembly. Photo by Jake Lefferman.
At the end of Thursday’s meeting, the top six ideas were proposed to Stephen Levin, as he sat eagerly in the front row. Citizens pitched Borough Hall Plaza upgrades, school gardens and roof gardens, tree evaluation and maintenance, sidewalk benches, and library technology improvements. All ideas suggested by participants, however, will go to the next stage of the budgeting process, delegate meetings, where proposals will be developed from November through March.
There will be several more brainstorming sessions, open to the public, at neighborhood assemblies throughout the month. This process will continue until a pubic vote before the end of the fiscal year in April.
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Few Question the “Presumptively Valid” Clause in NY Election Law
By Jake Lefferman
In an odd cycle of trust that has come to characterize the petition of candidacy process in New York, signature pages are presumed valid unless contested in court. Taking political hopefuls at their word – who could see a problem with that?
Humberto Soto filed 1,929 signatures on his Brooklyn city council petition for candidacy, well over the 450 needed to appear on the Democratic ballot. For the past month, as election law stipulates, he and a team of campaign volunteers had gathered signatures from registered Democrats throughout the district.
Chris Owens, a political consultant and former city counsel candidate, explained the system of trust necessary during this process.
“The whole system really rests on the honor system,” Owens said. “You’re relying on the signer to actually be in the party they say they are or to be registered. And you’re relying on the witness to say truthfully that they collected the signatures in an appropriate manner.”
This honor system goes a step further. The designating petition of candidacy is “presumptively valid” upon submission, which political science professor Dr. Jim Twombly explained, “means that unless a petition is contested, the Board of Elections takes it on its face.” The signatures and witness statements are not checked.
Within three days, Soto’s competitor, Antonio Reynoso, had filed general objections against the petition. This process is fairly common and experts agree can be a political tool against an opponent.
“Many people file general objections as a way of keeping their options open,” Owens said. “It can be about buying time or intimidating someone into thinking they’ll have to defend themselves.”
Susan Russell, who defended Soto during the 2013 primary, said, “It’s not unusual for candidates to use the law in order to get rid of other candidates who can’t withstand the scrutiny.” She added, “Less competition and you have to spend less money. It happens all over the city.”
Reynoso went a step further by filing specific objections against Soto’s petition. Among the objections, Reynoso alleged, “the signatures were obtained by fraud,” “signatures have been altered,” “signatures have been forged,” and “the petition does not contain the minimum number of required valid signatures.”
Without the filing of specific objections, petition signatures are not checked, which political consultant Jerry Skurnik notes can affect the electoral process.
“There are campaigns where nobody checks the signatures and they’re on the ballot,” Skurnik said. “There’s definitely candidates appearing on the ballot who don’t have enough signatures. It happens every year.”
While many political experts acknowledge that this can pose a problem, they agree that in a state such as New York, with so many races and candidates, there is no practical way to do a line-by-line review of signature pages.
“Who is going to do it?” Henry Berger, an attorney specializing in election law, said. “You get 2000 petitions filed with the Board of Elections in July. Who is going to check each of the signatures? Do you expect the Board to do it in their spare time?”
Board of Elections counsel, Steven Richman, said that the office follows a statutory framework set by the state. Unless there is clear fraud or an egregious violation, at which point they would involve the District Attorney, they follow state law and presume validity.
Many maintain that the system, while not perfect, affords the necessary checks to make sure the candidates are held accountable.
“From a practical standpoint in order to encourage people to participate in the process you have to have presumption of validity – the honor system,” Chris Owens said.
Henry Berger asserted, “I think you get more extensive checking by putting the responsibility of adversary candidates.”
During court proceedings, the Board of Elections ruled that 1,314 of Humberto Soto’s signatures were invalid. With almost 70% of signatures thrown out, Soto still qualified for the race and faced no repercussions.
Steven Richman said whether there are repercussions “is a question of what’s involved. If you have enough valid signatures and there’s not fraud that would suffice.”
While it’s easy to point fingers at the candidate, there are numerous reasons signatures can be thrown out, some of which fall on the signers and the witnesses. The majority of Soto’s signatures that were deemed invalid were because the signers were not registered to vote or were registered outside the district.
Henry Berger explained that technical requirements make for opportunities to invalidate a petition but that those do not indicate that the candidate knowingly tried to deceive the board. He noted that in minority communities, such as Soto’s, “individuals simply not registered to vote might say they are and when the signatures are checked they are deemed invalid.”
Because designating petitions rely on a type of honor system, Owens said, “You have no reason to believe they [the signers] are being dishonest.” He questioned whether it is fair to punish the candidate if signers or witnesses are not telling the truth or asking the appropriate questions.
Past the signers, it is up to the witness to do their due diligence and ask the questions necessary to ensure signature validity.
“There’s always pressure on people who are getting signatures,” Owens, who has been a signature collector and candidate himself, said. “We want as many as we can as fast as we can.” He said there is a goal of how many signatures each witness should gather but “If you’re smart, you don’t put a quota in place because you’re asking for abuse. People will be more likely to panic.”
Jerry Skurnik, who has collected signatures for petitions and organized campaign volunteers, said that as a campaign worker he never felt pressure. He maintained that in campaigns he has helped run he never instituted a quota. “It’s the law,” Skurnik said. “You don’t want to take a chance.”
But with so much blame to go around, Chris Owens said it wouldn’t hurt to have a penalty associated with high number of invalid signatures. He suggested fines, mandatory pre-checks by the campaign, and training sessions “to improve the quality of the petitions and the work.” He noted that many people have never done this before and accidental mistakes are inevitable.
There are real repercussions if there is clear evidence of fraud.
Steven Richman said, “If you could prove in a court of law that the candidate committed fraud they could strike the candidacy of petition.” Citing an example where a candidate used a computer program to print addresses, Richman said, “We made a referral to the DA. We felt that was clearly an attempt to defraud the public and the board.”
But Chris Owens said there is room for strengthening fraud provisions. “Making sure it doesn’t happen at all would be a good thing. A fine, a little jail-time,” Owens said. “You’re misrepresenting people.”
Fraud charges against Humberto Soto were dropped and he maintained that Reynoso’s allegations had little weight past political motivation. He received 633 votes in the Democratic primary.
And while some said there is room for improvement, all agree that there have been great strides in making the electoral process fair, reasonable, and accountable.
“We are light-years ahead of where we were,” Owens said.
Lights, Camera, Legislative Action: Brooklyn Councilman’s Film Permits Bill Draws Mixed Reactions
by Jake Lefferman
NEW YORK – Lime green signs along a Williamsburg street corner read NO PARKING – Film Shoot, a notice that has become an almost daily fixture in the neighborhood. With 72 film and television projects currently underway in New York City, many in Brooklyn, residents battle studio trailers for residential parking and navigate through truck-lined streets on their morning commute. In the face of much criticism against an overabundance of film shoots a Brooklyn city councilman has introduced legislation that aims at forging a better relationship between film crews and locals.
Councilman Stephen Levin’s bill would require the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting to produce monthly reports detailing the location, duration, studio name, and parking inconveniences concerning film projects in New York City. But while the Councilman and some community leaders praise the bill as a move toward transparency, others say that measuring a problem is a far step from solving it.
Levin’s Communications Director, Matt Ojala, said that the legislation’s introduction resulted from numerous complaints about the frequency of filming throughout the district.
Brooklyn Community Board 1 Chairman Christopher Olechowski, who expressed reservations about the scope and effectiveness of the legislation, said, “We get complaints about parking, the amount of noise, quality of life.”
Stemming from such complaints, Ojala explained, this bill intends to provide more information and greater transparency for residents and business owners by “know[ing] how long a film shoot is going to be lasting in their neighborhood and how that will affect their day to day.” These monthly reports are to be posted on the city’s website, the legislation text reveals.
The bill also proposes an annual report that would contain employment and demographic statistics and compile a cost/benefits analysis of the entertainment industry in New York. Ojala also said that Councilman Levin plans to add an addition to make film location data available in real-time on the city’s website.
Many residents and local businesses said they would support the bill, citing parking as a major inconvenience they hope would be addressed, although others maintain reservations.
Williamsburg resident Antonia Ortiz said she is in favor of Levin’s bill but understands that filming helps the neighborhood.
“It’s good and it’s bad,” Ortiz said. “It’s inconvenient, not bad but inconvenient. It brings people into the area and some businesses who cater to that, it brings them business. But it’s an inconvenience to homeowners.”
Williamsburg restaurant manager Jamie Toll said the main issue he has had with film crews is that “they take up parking, which is not the end of the world, but at night we have patrons parking there.”
Toll also cites safety concerns. “In front of the building, loose cabling and wiring can be dangerous for people coming out of our bar from drinking,” he said. Toll added that he hasn’t lost any business and nobody’s been hurt, but he said he has confronted film crews on multiple occasions.
A statement on the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment’s website responds to such inconveniences with, “Public parking spots are paid for and shared by all New Yorkers, including the production industry, which contributes $7.1 billion to our local economy on an annual basis and employs 130,000 New Yorkers.” These statistics are compiled from a 2012 study about NYC media sector development by the Boston Consulting Group.
Stephen Pierson, the Councilman’s opponent for City Council who lost on Tuesday, is not a supporter of the bill calling it “too little, too late.”
Pierson argued in an exclusive statement via email that film crews are “bad neighbors” that “damage trees, shine bright lights at late hours, and tie up traffic and parking.”
He called the Councilman’s bill election-year politicking and implored, “What I won’t do is pretend that measuring the extent of a problem is the same as solving it.” Pierson says he would introduce a bill to suspend alternate side parking in shoot areas, limit the number of permits issued in particular neighborhood, and demand that a portion of the proceeds be invested in the neighborhood in which the filming took place.
Community Board 1 Chairman Olechowski agrees that this bill does not do enough to solve the problem and would also prefer a bill that includes provisions to bring direct economic benefit to the areas affected.
“If we’re so vital to the film industry, this area is so important, then give us some money back to revitalize this community,” Olechowski said. He added, “That’s a tradeoff worth talking about.”
Marybeth Ihle, Press Secretary for the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, said the office is currently reviewing the bill. She added that her office has a history of working to increase transparency and provide information and resources to residents.
After revision, the final version of the bill will be sent to the full City Council. If passed, the bill will be sent to the Mayor, who after a public hearing, will veto or sign it into law.
Sistas Place at 456 Nostrand Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, served as
union headquarter for Transit Workers Union Local 100, the New York State
Nurses Association, and DC 37, New York’s largest municipal public employee
union.
All three unions supported Scott Stringer for Comptroller,...
Reporting by Jake Lefferman and Ashley Papagni (http://ashleypapagni.tumblr.com/)
New York's Public Transport Union (TWU Local 100) mobilized this afternoon on the steps of City Hall in a get out the vote rally for Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson. Mr. Thompson was joined by hundreds of supporters as well as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz.
Thompson was greeted by cheers and chants as he ascended the steps to the podium, one of his stops on a five borough tour throughout New York today. "It is the things we do over the next 24 hours that will dtermine who the mayor of the city of New York is," he said and implored supporters to rally throughout the next day. Responding to a question about how he would address terrorism and fight crime in the city Thompson responded, "There are those who will tell you they have to violate our civil rights to keep our city safe. I disagree with that."
Mayoral Candidates Erick Salgado and Adolfo Carrión were also present at City Hall today and met with the press to discuss their platforms.
Tune in tomorrow for The Cross Examiner's real-time coverage of tomorrow's Democratic primary and City Council races - http://crossexaminer.tumblr.com/
Supporters of City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, rallied on 72nd and Broadway on the Upper West Side today in a get out the vote rally just days before the Democratic mayoral primary. Comedian Judy Gold, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY 12th District), Joanna Coles (Editor in Chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine), country singer Chely Wright, and actress Lorraine Bracco were among the many speakers who expressed their support for Quinn for Mayor.
Speaker Quinn, who was joined on stage by wife Kim Catullo, finished her speech by thanking supporters and saying, “We’re going to be in the runoff and we’re going to win the runoff and girls will know the sky is the limit for them.” Quinn also noted during her speech that “while an election won’t change everything, the one thing I do know is that a victory will send a message” in a discussion about women in politics.
Street-side during the event, behind the stage, protesters held posters that read “slush fund” and others of the Speaker and Mayor Bloomberg.
Tune in for real-time coverage of the Democratic Mayoral primary on Tuesday via the Cross Examiner #xexamvote
Jake Lefferman speaks with Congresswoman Nydia Valázquez, who expressed her support for District 34 City Council candidate Antonio Reynoso on Thursday afternoon on Bedford Avenue. He also spoke with Mr. Reynoso, who outlined his platforms.
Sergio Pasquariello, New York City actor and photographer, during a Thursday in the East Village. Photos by Jake Lefferman. All rights reserved.
Sergio Pasquariello adjusts his camera strap as he heads up 14th Street with girlfriend, Dominique. A recent graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Pasquariello recently finished his second play of the summer. But today, he’s taking headshots for Dominique and an actor-friend, something he does to pay the rent in between projects.
The couple makes their way to an unused dance studio at NYU. Natural light streams through the windows; they bound around the studio, an acrobatic dance between photographer and model.
A kiss goodbye later, Pasquariello heads to the East Village for a photo shoot with Ashley. They recently finished a musical together in Sharon, Connecticut. Pasquariello shouts direction as she poses in the middle of the street, the two darting to the sidewalk as each car approaches. “Beautiful,” he shouts. “Now give me. … you just got a call back.” She lights up.
He returns to Dominique’s apartment – a converted one bedroom on 14th. He is the fourth roommate until he can find a place of his own.
Today he is a photographer. Perhaps tomorrow an actor. Everyday an artist.
